342 Fiery Eruption on Julian?s attempt

tunes of the Temple, he was evidently placing himself
in open hostility to Christ and His Prophet, and chal-
lenging Him to the encounter. No circumstances
then could be more fitting for the interposition of a1
miracle in frustration of his undertaking.

200. The same conclusion may be argued from our
Lord's words to the Samaritan woman. He does not
indeed mention the Temple by name, but he must be
considered to allude to it, when He says that men
should not " worship at Jerusalem." They were in-
deed to worship there, as everywhere, but to worship
without the Temple ; and that because they were to
worship " in spirit and in truth." A spiritual worship
was incompatible with the Judaic services; so that
when Christianity appeared the Temple was de-
stroyed. Julian then, in building again the Temple,
was doing what he could to falsify Christianity.

201. But, again, the Jewish Temple was confessedly
the centre of the Jewish worship and polity; to rebuild
the Temple, then, was to establish the Jews, as Jews,
in their own land, an event which, if prophecy is sure,
never is to be. " The building of [the Temple]," says
Mr. Davison, " was directed for this reason, that God
had given * rest to His people/ and henceforth would
not suffer them to wander or be disturbed; so long as
they enjoyed the privilege of being His people at all.
* Moreover, I will appoint a/^^for my people Israel,
and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place